The Story of Pastor John and Pari

Pastor John and Pari

Pastor John and Pari are real people, but those aren’t their real names. The stories that we publish on our website are about real people, and the photos show some of the actual people in the story. Some of these people live in areas where it is unsafe to be a Christian. For this reason, we blur faces, change names, and do not specify exact locations for some of the Christians in our stories. Now enjoy the true story below!

Have you ever been beaten for sharing your faith? We hope not. Is sharing the Good News worth a beating? Yes it is!

Thank God most of us are not called to take a beating for being a Christian and wanting to share our faith. But there are some who are!

Pastor John has been beaten so others can hear about Jesus. He is one who has been called to suffer and be beaten for the Gospel’s sake.

John is a missionary. He did not grow up in the villages where he is working. He is a stranger who has come with the Good News, but not everyone thinks the message he brings is good news.

Four years ago, God called John to a task few would want to do. John packed up his wife and family and moved into a remote area in India where the name of Jesus was yet to be heard.

God blessed John with a small group of believers. Soon they built a church and started singing praises to God.

Then one day, 500 or more people rushed toward the church. They came with torches. They shouted to have the missionary killed. The mob went wild. Within minutes, the church was burned to the ground and John was being dragged down the street with a tire around his neck.

John was hauled down the street to the police station where he was beaten. There John stayed alone for four days before he was released.

Did John give up? Did he go back to where he came from? No. John sent his family back to safety, but he has been called to bring the Good News to people living in that area of India. That is where John wants to stay until he has accomplished the purpose for which God has sent him.

Now the new believers have no place to worship. How can John disciple them? Many are afraid to gather together for fear of the mob.

That is where the Talking Bible has been a real blessing for Pastor John. The new converts can each take a Talking Bible home and listen to it. Then when they are able to safely gather, they can discuss what they have heard.

One of the new converts, a woman named Pari, has difficulty gathering with the others. She had been beaten by her husband for believing the Good News. When she tried to go to church, her husband beat her. When she tried to meet with Pastor John, her husband beat her again and attacked the pastor. She cannot read or meet with other believers to grow in her faith, but she has a great longing to know more about God. The hostile environment in her home prevented this from happening until she got a Talking Bible.

Pastor John was able to give Pari a Talking Bible. For now, she hides it in her house. When her family is away, she listens to it in secret. God’s Word is a wonderful encouragement to her and her faith is growing. When he is able, Pastor John is continuing to disciple her in her faith and Pari is becoming a strong believer who can stand in the face of persecution by her own family.

This is common in many areas of India. Young Indian missionaries with the burning desire to reach their own people with the Good News are willing and ready to go into a remote area to share the Good News. They are willing to endure hardship and persecution to share their faith.

Not just India! In many areas of the world, people are routinely brutalized, jailed, and even killed for their faith in God. Being able to listen to God’s Word and receive comfort, strength, and hope is a huge encouragement to those who live in areas where persecution is common.

With the Talking Bible, these pastors and missionaries are able to teach non-readers right from the Bible what the truth is about God and His Son Jesus Christ. For the first time, they hear about a living God who loves them very much.

Your partnership with Talking Bibles International is helping to place Talking Bibles into the hands of people who have no other way to learn about God. They can’t read. They can’t meet regularly together. Without a Talking Bible, they are alone and have no way to learn about God’s love for them. A Talking Bible gives them knowledge, hope, and assurance of eternal salvation.

Please help us continue to place Talking Bibles in areas where Christians are persecuted. Together we can help Pastor John reach those who have no other way to learn about God and grow in their faith.